5 March
2003: On 5 March 2003, the inauguration ceremony took place for the European Space Agency’s first deep space ground station in New Norcia, 150 kilometres north of Perth, Australia.
The completion of the New Norcia facility, its first deep space ground station, is an important event for ESA. The station would later play a major role in the ESA’s deep space missions, including Rosetta and Mars Express.
New Norcia is the first of a series deep space ground stations that ESA intends to build around the world over the coming years to make up a European deep space network.
